Turkey's Position on the Qatar-Gulf Crisis 2017

Abstract

Turkey possesses economic, military, political, and cultural capabilities that can benefit the Middle East in general and the Arab Gulf states in particular. Therefore, Turkey has sought to challenge Western and American policies to enhance its regional status. It has become increasingly difficult to discuss any future security arrangements in the region without considering Turkey's role, especially after the weakening of Arab regimes following the "Arab Spring" revolutions in 2011 and the absence of effective and influential leadership. The opportune moment for Turkey came when it assumed the role of mediator to resolve the 2017 Qatar-Gulf crisis. This crisis led to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain severing their economic and diplomatic ties with Qatar due to differing positions of Arab and Western countries regarding the crisis. Turkey's supportive stance for peace in the region through diplomatic means became prominent.